All About Brittany... or a Cool Soap Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, okay, it may have been months, I started planning a giveaway to do in conjunction with Brittany Hassell, of Snappy Rockfish Soaps.

The reason for this is summer is coming, people get sweaty, and I prefer people who smell nice as opposed to smelling like Hobo Joe, who just finished his cross country train ride. The other reason is that Brittany is saving up for something really, Really, REALLY cool... a trip to Antarctica! I absolutely love when people have a goal that seems ridiculously daunting to me and are going for it whole heartedly.

Brittany and Artoo

Though we live in the same town, we got here very differently – and from very different places! Brittany lived here in Portland for a few years in the early 2000's, however, left to live in Alaska. She headed back for several reasons... one of them being her boyfriend Jonathan – whom she realized that she “... wanted to actually move in with him and I didn't think I'd kill him.” After working multiple jobs at the same time, she made her way back to the handmade mecca that is Portland.

In the time since, Brittany has finished her Bachelor's in Anthropology (insert awesome Betty White Community reference here), and loves to experiment with different foods – specifically those that are crunch or tomato-y (preferably both), writes for her blog – Pro-Soup Propaganda, read, ride her bike Eleanor, and volunteer with a Portland based group called Friends of Trees, and hang with her totally rad dog, Artoo. If all of this weren't enough, she also works at Mr. Green Beans, a local shop that specializes in unroasted coffee beans, classes on soap, and cheesemaking. Oh. And she makes soap. Really yummy smelling soap. Like, with coffee and chocolate in it, though the grapefruit is my personal favorite!

Corivade Soap

Brittany says, “Your skin is your body's biggest organ, so whatever you put on it is going to get into your body. I like knowing that it (her soaps) doesn't have anything yucky in it and that I'm not supporting chemical companies by using those types of ingredients – such as sodium laurel sulfate.” So what DOES she use in her soaps? Organic ingredients whenever possible! Coconut oil, olive oil, etc., and she colors the soaps with herbs, spices, roots, and uses pure essential oils in all of the soaps.

There are currently a few shops in her native Ketchikan, Alaska that retail her products, however, Brittany is always open to more! Now that her degree is complete, she is excited about new recipes – including formulas for shampoo and facial bars. While she might “have the drawing skills of an eight year old”, she enjoys making soap because it allows her to have a creative outlet with a tangible product that looks and smells nice.

There are several quotes or mottos that Brittany says motivate and guide her, but the one that I think sums her up the best? “You may do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.” - Sidonie Gabrielle Carter.

For a chance to win a bar of Brittany's 'Rain-Dogg' (Beer and Citrus) soap, to be paired with one of my hand knit soap bags made from a natural colored recycled cotton, please leave a comment below... answering the following question: if you had to choose your favorite two scents to be blended into a soap, what would they be and why?

Giveaway Prize!!! One hand knit soap bag and a lovely wrapped bar of Rain-Dogg!

Good luck! The winner will be announced on Saturday, June 30! You can also “Like” Brittany's Facebook page here, or support her Antarctic endeavours here!  ALSO! If you visit the Snappy Rockfish Etsy shop and enter 'Kusala" in the coupon code - you'll get an additional 15% off!!